Magical Cat Bus Ride to the Airport (1 of 3)

Yokohama City Air Terminal (YCAT)

In the thirteen plus years that I’ve lived in Japan, I’ve never once taken the bus to the airport. That seemed to me an incredibly peculiar thing to admit, so I took it upon myself to do something about it. Living in Yokohama and very near Yokohama Station, it was a no brainer to finally give the Yokohama City Air Terminal (YCAT) a go.

Located on the Sogo-side of Yokohama Station, YCAT turned out to be one of the best travel choices I’ve ever made. First, their website (available in English) made it a breeze to find out who and what and where they are, as well as their departure/arrival times and fares:

But what I enjoyed most about using YCAT was the ride itself. Their buses are immaculate inside and out; the YCAT staff especially polite, and the 85-minute ride to the airport (only ¥3600 direct to Narita) was so much more pleasant than taking a train. And hey, something I didn’t know before: the buses are WiFi capable!

Comfortable Rides and Peace and Quiet

Imagine yourself on a quiet, spacious, uncongested bus, staring out the window watching the city and ocean pass you by. That’s exactly what it was like, a mini-adventure road trip to Narita. I didn’t have to worry about being subjected to the weirdness one sometimes encounters on the train, nor did I have to face sitting squashed next to, or in between, strangers I’d usually rather not. YCAT’s buses, which happen to be equipped with a very clean bathroom, allowed me to sit back and relax – and even catch a brief nap before my airport arrival. Best of all, the trip from YCAT to the airport is direct, so that meant I also didn’t have to deal with waiting for people to scramble on-and-off the train at multiple stops.

It was a surprisingly welcome refreshing experience, one that I regret not having taking advantage of sooner. But now that you know, I highly recommend you use YCAT the next time you need to make the journey to Haneda or Narita. Don’t worry about luggage, either; they’ve staff to handle all that for you.

In my next two articles, I’ll not only teach you how to purchase your ticket, but also what to do while you’re waiting for your bus to leave!

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